New Hardwood Floors

There are endless possibilities when selecting new hardwood flooring for your home.  One of the best parts is that new hardwood floors usually last the life of the home, and add to the aesthetics, durability, and resale value of any home. 

The three basic types of new hardwood floors are Sand In Place, Pre-finished, and Engineered hardwood floors.

A large portion of our new hardwood installation jobs are "sand in place" hardwood floors.  The term means that the hardwood is delivered to your home as it comes directly from the mill in un-sawn bundles of hardwood.  The hardwood is delivered to your home anywhere from 1-2 weeks prior to the job start date so that it can acclimate to the climate inside your home.  During the acclimation period, the hardwood bundles are placed in low stacks inside the rooms that will be done in hardwood, and the wood adjusts to the variance of temperatures in your home.  This is one of the most crucial aspects as it greatly reduces the chance of hardwood buckling in the following years. 

After the initial acclimation period, the floor is then installed by hand on top of the sub-floor.  After the installation, the floor is sanded thoroughly, stained/sealed, and finished.  There are many pictures of our work in the floor gallery section.

The Sand In Place hardwood installation process can take anywhere from 3 days to 15 days depending on job size.  The average time needed is 5 working days. 

Pre-finished floors are solid hardwood floor pieces that are sanded, stained, and finish inside a factory.  We install the pre-finish floor by hand, and the process is quicker since there is no sanding or finishing inside your home.  Many pre-finished floors offer limited warranties. 

Engineered hardwood floors typically come pre-finished, and are actually composed of a real hardwood wear surface (typically 3/8" thick), and a plywood backing.  Many engineered floors are precisely mill sawn, and the board pieces fit together seamlessly.  Most engineered hardwood floors have a limited warranty. 

Here are links to high quality engineered floor manufacturers:

Listone-Giordano Margaritelli        Bruce        Terra        Junkers        Kahrs